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Kelly Clarkson’s daughter River Rose, 8, has an unlikely ally: Henry Winkler — AKA, The Fonz from Happy Days! He appeared on the April 18 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show and opened up about dyslexia, which he and River both have.
“I literally was driving my daughter to school yesterday, and she’s dyslexic,” Clarkson says. “And you have told me that you’re dyslexic as well, and I find that amazing to tell my daughter that you’ve written like 40 books, and you’re dyslexic.”
“’Cause she was getting bullied, like at school, for not being able to read like all the other kids,” Clarkson continued.
As a mom, that’s heartbreaking to see your daughter suffering like that and being bullied for something she can’t control! But immediately, Winkler jumped in with a reassuring stat.
Winkler said, “One out of five children [have it].”
“It’s more common then, I didn’t know that,” Clarkson responded.
“She’s in the tribe,” Winkler said.
Henry Winkler Made Kelly Clarkson Cry With His Sweet Words
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability, according to the International Dyslexia Association. Students with dyslexia may experience difficulties in spelling, writing, pronouncing words, and reading. They report 6-7% of school-age children who qualify for special education have a learning disability, primarily in reading and language processing. Although as many as 15-20% of the population as a whole has symptoms of dyslexia.
Clarkson explained that River’s school did a special assembly about dyslexia, where they were showing that Captain America, Shazam, Winkler, and others were dyslexic. “They were showing all your pictures and everything that y’all done and just the success of that. And it really empowered her that y’all are so open about it,” Clarkson said.
Then, the Barry star looked at the camera and addressed River directly. “River! How you learn has nothing to do with how brilliant you are,” he said.
“Oh!” Clarkson responded, tearing up. She pulled a tissue and said, “It’s fine, we’re fine” as she wipes her eyes. “My makeup artist is gonna kill me. It’s so nice.”
It’s no surprise that Winkler is so sage when it comes to talking to kids. After all, he has written dozens of children’s book’s with Lin Oliver. His 38th novel, Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash, and his first autobiography, Being Henry: The Fonz…And Beyond, both release in Oct. 2023.
Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash
During episode, Winkler told Clarkson about his new book, Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash, which is the start of a new series.
“A little duckling lives on a pond in New Hampshire, and she is feisty,” Winkler explains. “And she dreams about being a detective. And she has a best friend who’s a salamander, who reads comic strips that are left by the humans at the campsite. When they get too soggy, these bits of comics, he uses them as a washcloth. And her dad — she’s the only duckling with a dad who is a beaver. Because her egg came down the stream, and kind of got stuck in the dam of the beaver.”
The book is available for pre-order and releases Oct. 17, 2023.
Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond
Winkler’s autiobiography, Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond, releases Oct. 31, 2023. The idea to write about himself came from his son, Max.
“This was nerve-wracking,” Winkler said about writing the autiobiography. “I have three wonderful children, Jed, Zoe, and Max. Max has said to me for years, ‘Dad, you should write an autobiography.’ And I went, ‘Oh, I don’t think so. I don’t know what I have to say.’ Honest to god. And that’s not hyperbole, that’s just the way I feel.”
So, he called his agent and mentioned it to her, and she called him back a few hours later with the publication date and told him to start writing. “That means there’s a demand for it!” Clarkson said.
According to the book’s official logline, the book is “a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.”
Pre-order the book today!
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